U.S+Involvement+Grows-Section+2

=What were the causes and effects of America's growing involvement in the Vietnam War?=

The War began to weaken the economy, divide he American people, and crode the nations morale. Some causes of this were because we tried Americanizing the war, our Morales were sinking, and the doubt started growing on the home front.

We were trying to americanize the war. We did things we didnt think we would ever do. Dishonorable. The american commander in south vietnam William Westmoreland believe that we needed to increase out military presecne. Fight more to win the war. The operation "Rolling Thuder" increased the military involvement! We hammered Vietnam with airstrikes, and we even dropped more than 6 million tons of bombs on the enemy. In addition to that, we also used Agent Orange and Napalm. These were some very harmful tatics that hurt the vietnamese very much. Agent orange killed plant life, decreasing there output of food, and Napalm was a very horable thing also. It took over anything it landed on in flames. Including people. Below is a video of a boy that gotten covered in napalm, but luckily survived.

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[|Some causes of the War]

Even though we won many battles, we did not win the big war. Vietcong and North Vietnam tried to stay away from us because we were big and powerful. The U.s had no other way but to fight the battles in the jungles, with big guns. Which usually happened at night. Many soliders fought to prevent the spread of communism, to keep themselves free and have their own rights. While others thought they had to because their country was in trouble. A lot of people died to help and make sure the bad people lose. Women also started to stand up for their country. 10,000 american women served in vietnam. Lynda Van Devantar was one of the women to go to Vietnam. She states " It was creation of life in the midst of all destruction. An creation of life restored your sanity....Those were the things that kept you going. That there was life comming. There was still Hope . "



As the war went on...americans began to question U.S involvement. By the end of 1965, all the soliders their were draftees, not voulnteers. We sensed that the vietnam people were indifferent. Hostile to their own nation. We began to wonder if our americans were dieing for a nation whose people were unwilling to die to defend themselves.

Doubt grew on the home front. The lack of progress towards our victory gave us all doubt in the U.S. Americans expected a quite quick victory, but it did not come. Johnson even kept asserting that American victory was very close. Although it did not come. The war was weakening our economy. Heavy government spending + rising prices + inflation = Raised Taxes. Johnson had to cut back on his Great Society Initiatives to help pay for the war. Then, beginning in 1967 the anti-war movement began.



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